World number 1 Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo auctioned off 3 of his sports items and donated the proceeds to Covid-19 relief funds. The auction fetched a total of Rp. 61 million (4510 USD).
The auction was held by Indonesian musician Armand Maulana @armandmaulana0 through an Instagram live stream.
The three items that Kevin put up for auction were a Yonex Power Cushion 65 X 2 Wide shoes which he last wore at the Indonesia Masters 2020, the t-shirt & shorts which he wore during the 2019 World Championships and a Yonex Arcsaber 11 racket. The three items raised Rp. 10 million (635 USD), Rp. 21 million (1334 USD) and Rp. 40 million (2541 USD) respectively.
Kevin admitted that it was rather difficult to let go of his valuables, especially the racket which he used when he won his first All England title in 2017.
“It’s a bit hard to give away this racket. This is the racket with which I won the All England for the first time in 2017,” said Kevin, as reported by Kompas.
“This racket is very historic for me. Hopefully, this racket can help people who have been affected by COVID-19,” said Kevin.
Since April 6, Armand has routinely invited public figures to participate in the auctioning of personal items. The proceeds from the auctions are distributed to small communities who rely on daily income such as motorcycle taxis, music concert crews, barbers etc.